Mary Beth Armstrong
Lesson Plans Water Unit Week Two
Week of Aug. 24-28
Monday
MS ESS3 Apply scientific principles to design a method form monitoring and minimizing a human
impact on the environment.
I can distinguish between different types of land use and the pollutants associated with each.
Students will receive news that they have inherited a tract of land on the Licking River. The catch is that
they owe taxes on the property. Businesses have agreed to front money to the students to help them
develop their land so that it can generate the revenue the students need to pay the taxes.
Students will work in small groups. Each group will be given a map of their parcel of land. They will
decide how they will use their land in order to make money. Students will use markers to sketch out
their development ideas. Students will have about 15 minutes to complete their diagrams.
After time is up, student groups will be asked to make a list of possible pollutants that their land
development project might cause. They will write the name of each pollutant on a sticker dot. Then
small groups will be asked to present their maps to the class. Before presentations begin we will take
time to discuss speaking/presentation skills. We will also discuss how to be a good audience member.
Each group will present. As they present, they will give their map to the teacher who will hang each
section on the wall. After the map is hung, a student will place their pollution dots on their section of
the map. This will create a visual for the class. As each group finishes and each additional piece of map
gets hung, students will see that the maps make up a single watershed.
This will lead us into a series of “think about it questions”. Students will do some pair share with these
as well as some large group “Volleyball not Ping Pong”. From here, we will finally address the learning
target and standard for the lesson. (Hopefully, students will be able to tell me what the purpose of the
lesson was today). If time remains, I have a couple connections to make with the Licking River
Watershed. If not, students will respond to a closing question in their journals. (List two different land
uses. Identify at least two pollutants that would be associated with that land use).
Tuesday (25)
A River Runs Through It
MS ESS3 Apply scientific principles to design a method form monitoring and minimizing a human
impact on the environment.
I can distinguish between different types of land use and the pollutants associated with each.
To tie up the lesson, “A River Runs Through It”, students will study a map of the Licking River Watershed.
Students will learn about land uses in urban, agricultural, and residential areas and the impact on the
watershed. Students will revisit the journal page, “I Think, I Rethink”. Students will write what a
watershed is on their Rethink page. Students will also post assess the learning target and will write big
ideas.
Give PreTest over LT 1-3.
Wednesday
Ecosystem Services Learning Target 2
Students will participate in a jigsaw about Ecosystem Services. Students will be assigned to one of four
articles. Students will read the article and highlight 3-5 important ideas to use to summarize the article.
Students will write the information in their journal.
After collecting Big Ideas to share, students will meet in “expert” groups. These students will all have
read the same articles. Students will share their ideas and decide on the 3-5 most important.
Next students will meet in their table groups. Students will share out from all four articles. Finally,
students will create one overall summary statement about ecosystem services from the article they
read. This final statement will be written on to a white board to be shared with the class.
Assign homework and questions on Ecosystem Services for Freshwater.
Thursday
Homework Check
Point vs Non Point
MS – ESS3 – 3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a
human impact on the environment
Learning Target 3 - I can distinguish between examples of point source and non point source
pollution and can suggest an appropriate practice (BMP) to improve a specific non point
problem.
Students will:
• Copy and pre-assess learning target 3
• Complete a hands-down thinking exercise about point and non-point pollution
• Record the definitions for point and non point source pollution
• Complete a card sort in order to apply the definitions
• Participate in a card sort discourse session in order to try to reach a consensus which
cards represent point sources and which represent non point sources. Students will
provide evidence/reasoning to support their thinking.
• Be introduced to BMP’s (best management practices) for storm water runoff, agriculture
practices, and residential areas.
• Complete an exit slip
Friday
Gulf Dead Zone
LT – I can navigate an interactive website in order to define the Gulf Dead Zone, determine the
causes of the Dead Zone, and can identify who is affected by it.
Students will
• Create fist list in order to review the Invasive Species article they read yesterday.
• Review a River Runs Through It and BMP’s lesson. Discuss how everything that
happens upstream in the Licking affects the Ohio and everything that effects the Ohio
effects the Mississippi. Ultimately the way we use land impacts the Gulf of Mexico.
• Use Ipads to investigate the Gulf Dead Zone.
Formative Assessment: Students will complete a short formative quiz to evaluate whether they
learned the main points presented on the Dead Zone site.
http://www.smm.org/deadzone/top.html